Newham

The boroughof Newham was formed by joining together the old counties of East Ham and West Ham in 1965. It lies a few miles east of the City of London and is home to the Olympic Park for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Stratford

Stratford is in East London and will be hosting the 2012 Olympics in the newly developed Olympic Park, a 500 acre site in the Lower Lea Valley in Stratford.

Nine new venues have been built within the park allowing competitors and spectators to experience the unique atmosphere of an Olympic Games.

The main Olympic Stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the Athletics events. The park also has a world-class Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome, Olympic Village and more.

Another new development in Stratford is the Westfield Stratford City, a new retail landmark and the largest urban shopping centre in Europe. It will have a mixture of over 300 stores, a cinema, bowling alley and restaurants.

Stratford is also becoming one of London’s best connected districts. A new station was opened in this area in November 2009, Stratford International. There are domestic high-speed services available and four new platforms for the Dockland Light Railway which has recently expanded into Stratford.

Epping Forest

Epping Forest has 6,000 acres of woodland stretching 12 miles from Manor Park in east London to Epping in Essex. It is an area of natural beauty and conservation importance with a forest filled with ancient woodland, grassland, wetland and rare wildlife.

Explore the variety of bridleways, mountain bike trails and path threads. There are also activities and festivals throughout the year for you to enjoy such as tree planting.

Green Street

Green Street in Newham, east London is hugely popular for its diverse shops and food on offer. Mostly known for Asian shops selling exquisite sarees, salwar kameez, jewellery and exotic foods, it also boasts local restaurants offering authentic Asian cuisine.

Nearby is the Queen's Market which holds 80 stalls and 60 local shops that sell even more exotic and multi-cultural products specialising in African, African-Caribbean and Asian foods.